I'll be visiting Carmel CA in July and am wondering if anyone has any great recreation ideas in or around Carmel (Monteray Bay, Big Sur, Pacific Grove, etc). I've been searching online and found a few attractions (some hikes, bike & kyack rentals, horseback riding) but it seems all the events are going on either the week before we arrive or the week after we leave.

There will be 7 adults in our group and 2 kids (8 & 12), of course we don't all have to do everything together but its nice if everyone is able to to be invited along.

Carmel/Monterey is a great place for sightseeing. There's the aquarium, Cannery Row, downtown Carmel, the Carmel Mission, the 17-mile drive, etc. etc. You can rent bicycles and ride along the beach frontage from the Monterey city line to Pacific Grove, and, if you want a more strenuous workout, up and down the 17-mile drive into Carmel. There are many great restaurants and places to stay, however, my two favorites are the Spindrift on Cannery Row or the Baren-approved Cypress Inn in Carmel.

Personally, I wouldn't want to take a kayak out into the bay because of the kelp beds - they are massive.

Carmel/Monterey is a great place for sightseeing. There's the aquarium, Cannery Row, downtown Carmel, the Carmel Mission, the 17-mile drive, etc. etc. You can rent bicycles and ride along the beach frontage from the Monterey city line to Pacific Grove, and, if you want a more strenuous workout, up and down the 17-mile drive into Carmel. There are many great restaurants and places to stay, however, my two favorites are the Spindrift on Cannery Row or the Baren-approved Cypress Inn in Carmel.

Personally, I wouldn't want to take a kayak out into the bay because of the kelp beds - they are massive.

Baron is a dog, yes? If so, good to know, because we will have a dog with us, so a dog-friendly restaurant is a nice perk. (I do know the city has the reputation of being the dog-friendliest in the country). We are renting a house where we eat most meals together but sometimes its nice to get out and its always a bit off leaving the poor dog by himself in a strange place.

Carmel/Monterey is a great place for sightseeing. There's the aquarium, Cannery Row, downtown Carmel, the Carmel Mission, the 17-mile drive, etc. etc. You can rent bicycles and ride along the beach frontage from the Monterey city line to Pacific Grove, and, if you want a more strenuous workout, up and down the 17-mile drive into Carmel. There are many great restaurants and places to stay, however, my two favorites are the Spindrift on Cannery Row or the Baren-approved Cypress Inn in Carmel.

Personally, I wouldn't want to take a kayak out into the bay because of the kelp beds - they are massive.

Baron is a dog, yes? If so, good to know, because we will have a dog with us, so a dog-friendly restaurant is a nice perk. (I do know the city has the reputation of being the dog-friendliest in the country). We are renting a house where we eat most meals together but sometimes its nice to get out and its always a bit off leaving the poor dog by himself in a strange place.

Well, Baren looks like a dog, but is really a small, non-verbal, human in a fur suit.

Carmel is very dog-friendly, with most restaurants having outdoor patios where dogs are welcome. When we were there a few years back, Cypress Inn provided the #'s of a few dog-sitters if you needed to go somewhere dog-free. I recommend trying to book the Tower Suite there - it's the coolest hotel room in town.

The weather is almost always cool enough that if you need to pop in somewhere for a few minutes that isn't dog-friendly, like the Mission, you can park the car under a tree and he'll be okay for a short time.

The weather is almost always cool enough that if you need to pop in somewhere for a few minutes that isn't dog-friendly, like the Mission, you can park the car under a tree and he'll be okay for a short time.

I should think so! According to the Weather Channel's website even at it hottest the average is only 68 degrees (July has a daily average high of 66 - to me that's down-right arctic!)